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Host Tom Temin brings you the latest news affecting the federal community each weekday morning, featuring interviews with top government executives and contractors. Listen live from 6 to 9 a.m. or download archived interviews below.

Today's guests:

It didn't take long for the federal government to swing into action when the Supreme Court struck down much of the Defense of Marriage Act. A lot of the work fell to the Office of Personnel Management now that spouses in same-sex legal marriages are eligible for a range of federal employee benefits.

The Commerce Department's Economic Development Administration spent almost half of its IT budget last year to remediate a cyber attack that barely happened. Commerce's inspector general found a string of errors and miscommunications that led to EDA's overreaction of removing employee email and website access from the main agency network.

John Mahoneychairman, Labor and Employment Practice Group
Tully Rinckey

Does reading a short statement mean you waive your constitutional right to remain silent? Yes, according to the Republican majority on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. IRS official Lois Lerner testified in May on the targeting of political groups that applied for tax-exempt status. She raised lawmakers' ire by reading a prepared statement then refusing to answer their questions. The panel's Republicans say: you can't have it both ways.

In the era of sequestration agencies are trying to save money in every way possible. This includes hiring freezes, furloughing federal workers and spending less money on contracts and contractors. Easier said than done, most agencies know that they are climbing an uphill battle. David Wyld, a professor of management at Southeastern Louisiana University, is the author of "Controlling Federal Spending by Managing the Long Tail of Procurement."

An inspector general usually serves as a watchdog for federal agencies. But lately some of the IG positions have been in limbo. The Senate is now investigating a variety of allegations against Charles Edwards. He's serving as acting inspector general at the Homeland Security Department while the position is vacant. President Barack Obama recently nominated Steve Linick to serve as the state department inspector general. That position has been unconfirmed since 2008. And two other IGs are duking it out over proper government accounting standards.

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